Congratulations Atmasphere!

The first rule of avoiding patent challenges is to say as little as possible about the invention after the patent issues.  So I won't ask any questions, because if I were Ralph, I wouldn't say anything the patent doesn't say.  But I do wish to offer my congratulations to Ralph.  It will be quite interesting to see how products based on this invention perform.   

I could not be happier (perhaps ignorance is bliss) with my M-60s.  I'd be at a loss to imagine how they could be improved upon with respect to sound.   Not saying the M-60s are the worlds best sounding amps, just saying that my 3.3s with the current tube complement have not been bettered by anything I personally have heard at any price. 

Now if the new technology closely approached the sound of my 3.3s, had better stability into low impedance loads, and produced less heat, I'd be willing to take a hard look.   

Duke observed that Ralph has a special gift for understanding what is important to the ear.  I agree based on my experience with the M-60s and also based on his astute contributions to this forum.  So I'm expecting that any product that comes out of his shop is going to sing sweetly.  I'll be following any new product releases.

Drat, Ralph beat me to the patent office!  With my vast technical knowledge of electronics I have absolutely no idea what any of this is talking about.  But I do want to congratulate you Ralph, know it will be successful and must say that I will be more than a little interested in following the roll-out.

I could not be happier (perhaps ignorance is bliss) with my M-60s.  I'd be at a loss to imagine how they could be improved upon with respect to sound.   Not saying the M-60s are the worlds best sounding amps, just saying that my 3.3s with the current tube complement have not been bettered by anything I personally have heard at any price.

This is all about the way the loudspeaker and amplifier work together. Some speakers don't like a lot of damping and then our OTLs play them nicely. Other loudspeakers simply can't be driven well by any tube amp without feedback; that's what the class D is for. In both cases the idea is to minimize higher ordered harmonic production and IMD to prevent harshness.

Someday maybe there will be a 'universal amplifier' but IMO that's still a ways off.

Thanks for all your comments :)  Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi Ralph:

My congratulations on winning the patent!  Just out of curiosity, at least for now, a question...

For starters I am basically very low-tech in my understanding of your work.  But I am curious if your new amps would be usable for my Linkwitz LX521.4 open baffle speakers?  In case you don't know these speakers, the LX521.4 system involves two monitors with 5 drivers each.  To drive them I now use two very nice sounding Parasound A51 5-way multi-channel amps.

Would it be cost-effective to make a multi-channel amp, say 5-channel, or would that just multiply the cost by 5 (or perhaps 2.5 if the starting point for the comparison is a stereo amp)?  Also is your design energy efficient, in the way that Class D is supposed to be?

Thank you

Congratulations Ralph ! Toutes mes félicitations !